Adam Jones is the AFC special-teams player of the week

Posted by Mike Florio on September 19, 2012, 12:52 PM EDT

Getty Images

In 2007, after the cornerback formerly known as Pacman received a one-year suspension from the NFL, few imagined he’d be playing again the following year. Even fewer would have predicted he’d still be in the league five years later.

He is, and he’s the AFC’s special-teams player of the week for Week Two of the 2012 season.

Jones returned three punts for 90 yards against the Browns, including an 81-yard return that began with Jones deftly weaving through traffic in his own end of the field before busting it open.

It was Jones’ first punt return for a touchdown as a Bengal, and it was the fifth of his career.

Other nominees for the award were Colts safety Joe Legefed, who had five special-teams tackles, Bills punt returner Leodis McKelvin, who returned three punts for 98 yards (including an 88-yard score), and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, who was three-for-three on field goals, including a 53-yard game winner.

While Jones has the more compelling story of NFL redemption, a stronger case could be made for giving the award to Vinatieri.

An 81-yard punt-return for a touchdown is MORE impressive than a 53-yard field-goal; particularly when the latter is being accomplished by a guy doing them pretty regularly throughout his entire career.

Adam Jones deserved it due to the fact that the Bengals may not have won without it. It set a positive tone for the game and the Browns rallied late. Don’t really know why Florio mentioned a stronger case for Vinatieri, as making long field goals are the standard duty for a kicker. Not many players could have done what Jones did on Sunday.

Plain and simple Bengals don’t win without PacMans touchdown last Sunday especially with how Richardson was playing. The Bills lost so McKelvin shouldn’t be in the conversation and Venatiari was a non factor considering he did what he’s PAID TO DO in a situation where the Colts defense failed miserably.